6/18/2015

Headline June 18, 2015/ ''' BURUNDI : OF DANGERS AND DIVISIONS "'

''' BURUNDI :

OF DANGERS AND DIVISIONS "'

AT JUST ABOUT EVERY University, College, and Senior school that I called on recently, few knew about Burundi, even fewer knew if it was a country?!

And some of this embarrassment and blame must also go the Students, Professors and Teachers of Burundi. They never could get as far as Sam Daily Times : ''the voice of the voiceless" and !WOW!.

[IN EVERY TERM : immediate, urgent, short, medium, and long, Burundi and its marginalized students need more and every help from the international community]

THE VERY RECENT COUP attempts in the central African nation of Burundi should trigger alarm bells among those concerned about peace and stability in one of Africa's most volatile regions.

Even though the coup appears to have failed, political and ethnic tensions are running high.

Burundi's history of genocide, civil war and refugee exodus are a grim, grim reminder of what might follow.

The attempted ouster of Burundi's president, followed days of violent protests against his decision to run for a third term. Confrontations between the police and protesters have left at least 15 dead, including two police officers.

Historically, Burundian political parties have used ethnicity to mobilize support.

To his credit President Pierre Nkurunziza, a former Hutu rebel leader, did succeed in reconciling Burundi's Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups and establishing a working consensus.

Mr. Nkurunziza first came to power in 2005, when he was elected by Parliament. Because he was not elected by "universal direct suffrage,'' as mandated by Article 96 of the Constitution, the president claims that only his second term is covered by the article's term limit clause.

But the opponents argue that according to Article 7, the people's will is sovereign, whether it is indicated by direct elections or mediated by their representatives in Parliament.

The danger is that some will try to exploit a crisis that is about governance and turn it into a tribal conflict.

"To restore Burundi's democracy and prevent atrocities, the international community should impose immediate travel and financial sanctions on anyone who incites ethnic hatred," writes graduate student {African studies}, Etienne Mashuli, a Soros New American fellow at Yale :

"Leaders of the nonviolent opposition must also get international support for their quest to hold, free, fair and well monitored elections."

Much of the international effort has been concentrated on forcing Mr. Nkuurunziza to step down. While the focus has understandably been on the president's third-term gambit-

The United States and the international community should also put pressure on the opposition parties to respect the rule of law.

A solution is possible if only if both the government and the opposition are willing to compromise.

The two sides must negotiate an end to violence and work out a political transition that rapidly returns Burundi to democratic, constitutional rule.

And just as she did over the threat of violence in Nigeria's recent election, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court , Fatou Bensouda, should issue a public warning that anyone engaged in atrocities will be liable to investigation and prosecution.

Even before this round of instability, the country's economy was hopelessly feeble.

An escalation of the crisis in Burundi is still preventable. But the longer the conflict continues, the harder it will be for the international community to come up with a viable solution.

Without major investment in "education" and " job creation " Burundi will continue to be vulnerable to the entrepreneurs of violence.

With respectful dedication to the Students, Professors and Teachers of Burundi. See Ya all on !WOW! -the World Students Society Computers-Internet-Wireless: